eleanor wong - a quotation

I like this quote from Eleanor Wong 'Having something to say that might mean something to someone, change how they see things, or at least make them ask different questions.' That's what writers or bloggers should try to do.

Citizen Banerjee

Citizen Banerjee A foreign talent turned citizen, and he said it simple and clear. '...holding a country's passport is not what binds a person to the place - it is the emotional ties that do....' He added that we don't necessarily need everyone to be a citizen. The real supertalent can go anywhere they want. Do we need a foreign talent to tell us these? Isn't everyone in cyberspace been saying the same thing? What I would want to add it that a pink passport is nothing without the emotional ties and without the benefits or values that come with it. Emotional ties are also dispensable when citizenship is no difference from being just a PR. There is greater need and urgency to make citizenship more meaningful and valuable, to be a treasured and wanted item. Our own supertalents, if they are really worth their salts, too will leave for greener pastures, pink passport or not. There must be a host of things that make citizenship meaningful to the people. Something like getting 10% more discounts or subsidies for medical fees and education. Imagine that is how valuable our citizenship is.

Lift my veil and what do you see?

Lift my veil and what do you see? This is the title of an article by Irfan Husain in the Today paper. And in the following pages you have the new Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf taking a stand that he would oppose the cutting of the hands of thiefs. Next to this was another headline, 'Islam debates worry Anwar.' The three names are muslim intellectuals who are not your normal laypersons or average kids turned mullahs. It is a pity that such intellectuals did not take up the profession of being religious leaders. For their views and interpretation of the Koran will definitely make a mark in the development of Islam. The things they lamented are serious doctrinal issues that only muslims are best to discuss among themselves. As non interested parties or non muslims, our views are definitely unacceptable no matter how we rationalise about them.

$3,400 psf properties

$3,400 psf properties How could Singaporeans afford such properties when the top 20% population have a monthly per capita household income of $3000, according to some statistics that were splashed across the MSM? At $3,400 psf, it will mean a 1000 sq ft condo will cost $3.4 million. But these units built for the rich and famous are not going to be 1000 sq ft but 2000 or more. A 2000 sq ft will be a blooming $6.8 million. With the $3000 per capita income a month, Singaporeans would have to go and steal from some where if they can afford one of these units. How is it that about 70% of these properties are bought by Singaporeans? Unbelieveable! Something is seriously wrong here. Either the statistics are wrong, or something got to do with our corruption index. To buy such a property, one would need a monthly income of at least $30,000 and for many years. Where to find such animals in Singapore? Maybe there are, but can't be that many. The reality is that once these few Singaporeans have bought their shares, that's it. The rest will be bought by foreigners as the developers are going to build more. Surely with our miserable income of the top 20% at $3000 per capital household income they would not be able to afford such price tag. Maybe one day we will have to follow the footstep of Malaysia, and reserve 30% of all high end properties, or all privately developed properties to be sold to Singaporeans at a discount.

A green Sunday

What a lousy Sunday morning My eyes were sleepy, and everything takes an unusually slow pace. Even my movements were slow, slower than any other day. Sunday is meant to slow down, relax, forget the world, forget the rat race. The sexy pictures of Tang dynasty women did raise the heartbeat a little. But my poise and serenity vanished when I hit page 3 of the Sunday Times. My eyes turn green and instantly I am fill with rage, the rage of envy. How can young upstart claims that it is normal to earn US$500k at a tender age of 34 years? And what he was implying is that many are earning much more. This reminds me of those heady days of an unprecedented bull market when stupid remisiers went bragging that any normal remisier would earn $30k a month. And what happened to them is history. The same pathetic state also befell the insurance and housing agents. Probably many have now turned to become taxi drivers. In Singapore it is very hazardous to brag about your stratospheric income. People not only get envious but angry as well. Just like how I feel now. How can these young people earn so much and easy money some more. Must do something about it. I am still wondering what is the agenda of the paper to splash the erotic incomes of children and what will likely to happen to them later? It was only a few days ago when we read about the pathetic existence of 'has been' high flyers and the top 20% of our population only having a per capita household income of $3000 a month. If we have a young couple earning three quarter of a million each, it will mean that their per capita household income will be $60,000 a month or $30,000 if they have 2 children. This is really obscene. I am still seething with green rage. I am going to do something about this. I am going back to sleep and forget about this brutal reality.